Training Log Archive: davelevine

Brown - 10 controls, 3.9 km, 180 m

Actual Distance Traveled: 5.1 km
Actual Climb: 212 m

After a number of days where the weather felt more like spring that winter the temperature finally dropped enough that it felt appropriately cold for this part of the country in February. If there had been any precipitation it would have been in the form of rain.

Ted, the course setter, added at interesting twist to the maps of the advanced courses: he removed the trails. I have orienteered at Avalon numerous time in the past but I can't remember all the trails that run through this section of the park. I crossed a number of trails but I didn't attempt to use them at all. I used my compass a lot more than I otherwise might have because there were some areas where the terrain was just too subtle me for without the help of the trails.

I chose to do the brown course because I didn't arrive at Avalon until 1 PM, which was intentional on my part. I had other things to do earlier in the day. I considered doing the green course but I think I made the right call because it was 2:45 when I finished the brown course. I didn't make a note of how long the green course was but I'm sure it would have taken me at least 20-30 minutes longer to finish it and I had agreed to help with control pickup.

The start was placed across the river from the rest of the controls. I think that the other advanced courses might have had some controls on that side of the river but there weren't any on the brown course. The first control was very easy to find but after that the next several were more along the lines of what I expected on an advanced course.

I overshot 2/114. I was in the right area but it was placed lower in the big gully where I was searching for it than I expected it to be placed. There were other people searching for it at the same time as me. If I had not ignored them as much as I did then I might have found it a little earlier than I did.

The next three controls didn't give me much trouble. I can't say the same about 6/118. I walked right past it going down the gully it was in. I wasn't moving very fast but I just didn't spot it until I started heading back up the gully. I also overshot 7/123 and had to turn around and backtrack a bit to find it. I didn't pass quite as close to it the first time around as I did with the previous control.

I ran across a trail or two on my way to 8/124 but decided to use the east corner of the open field as my attackpoint. I headed northwest towards the field instead of north to the control. It turned out to be a solid strategy for me and I found the control without much trouble.

The next to last control was placed very low to the ground. I found 9/141 without too much trouble but it wasn't easy to spot from a great distance even though it was in an area that was fairly open. It was a bit of a slog getting to 10/110 but I found it without wandering off in the wrong direction. I took possibly the steepest descent possible from there to get back to the road.

All in all it was a great day for orienteering and I enjoyed the challenge of navigating in this park without using the trails.

Control Pickup

5 Controls, 3.1 km

Actual distance traveled: 4.3 km

141 - 119 - 140 - 124 - 110

10 minutes after finishing the brown course I headed back out to pickup controls.

Three of these controls were part of the brown course and I had no trouble finding them. 140 wasn't part of the brown course but it was out in the open and easy to spot from a distance. 119 was well hidden but it didn't take me long to find it.

140 and 124 were water controls. I lugged the only unopened water jug I found back with me. I dumped what water was left in the opened water jugs. I took two bags with me for controls and trash and by the time I got back I was carrying a lot of stuff between the controls (flags and boxes), trash, unused paper cups, and the unopened water jug.

I left 110 for last because I knew it was the last control for the brown course and probably some of the other advanced courses. I encountered a couple people orienteering together when I was picking up 141 who benefited from this decision on my part. It would have been just after 3 when I got to 110 if I had chosen to pick it up first. I would have been well within my rights to do so but I reasoned that even if I did pick it up first I still had to pass close to the spot where it was on my way back and therefore decided to leave it for last.

Brown - Splits

Fitbit

BP: 101 / 64

Home to Takoma Metro

Takoma Metro to Home

Fitbit

BP: 118 / 65

Home to Takoma Metro

Park Rd to Division St

Fitbit

BP: 108 / 71

Home to Takoma Metro

Takoma Metro to Home

Fitbit

BP: 104/71

Home to Takoma Metro

Takoma Metro to Home